1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable and deployable automatic test system for field testing of electronic weapons systems. More particularly, the subject invention pertains to a portable and deployable automatic test system for the forward field testing of electronic weapons systems, which is deployable in a plurality of separate protected transit cases, which after removal of the case covers, are stacked one upon the other to form the final test system.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The increasing complexity of military systems has made the issue of diagnosis and repair of operational problems therein more difficult. Built-in-test (BIT) systems have false alarm rates of up to 50%, and automatic test equipment and test programs can cost millions of dollars per weapon system. Moreover, technical manuals are frequently so large and poorly organized that they are often ignored by technicians.
The U.S. Navy has supported and developed an Integrated Diagnostic Support System (IDSS) which provides a more structured solution to diagnosis and maintenance deficiencies. Providing a diagnostic capability for the support of modern weapon systems requires a broad spectrum of trained personnel, hardware, software, and documentation. The responsibility for providing these capabilities is often dispersed over a wide range of disciplines and organizations, and while each island of technology has done its best within its own scope, little has been done to integrate these activities in a cohesive and coherent way.
Too much is often expected of a single technology or maintenance level, and instead of exploiting the complementary strengths of a range of maintenance technologies, the technician in the field is frequently presented with a bewildering array of tools and documents for a system which is difficult and costly to diagnose. Although some improvements have been made through the use of independent technological solutions, the military still has many maintenance problems. Ships, aircraft, missiles, and control centers are still plagued with untraceable troubles and marginally performing equipment which require a repair echelon other than the on site force to correct.
The U.S. Navy Integrated Diagnostic Support System is a system concept which provides an approach to a solution to the diagnostic and maintenance deficiencies in present weapon systems support by focusing and exploiting the complementary strength of a broad spectrum of maintenance technologies. The Integrated Diagnostic Support System is an institutionalized system of standards, guides, specifications, and tools which defines, mandates, and supports a structured process of maximizing diagnostic effectiveness. The Integrated Diagnostic Support System is applicable to all weapons systems, both electronic and nonelectronic, and the features thereof are designed to work in concert with one another over the full life cycle of the weapons system.
The present invention is designed to provide a deployable and portable automatic test system for the field testing of electronic weapons systems, and is designed to operate and provide support within the framework of the Integrated Diagnostic Support System.
A typical prior art test sequence frequently consisted of a rigid, fixed sequence test strategy that could not be altered at run time to take advantage of increased knowledge about the performance and history of the unit under test. This would result in entire test programs being run for every possible fault, with a possible worst case scenario being that the last test in the strategy is the only test required to detect the faulty component.
In general, the prior art discloses a variety of automatic test equipment, some specifically disclosed as being portable, for units under test in weapons system and for electronic packages in general. However, prior art patents in this field generally concentrate on the electronic approaches therein, and aside from mentioning portability in general, do not disclose specific details of the packaging of the electronics to enable portability and deployment of the test equipment.